Charlotte School Board adopts $7.3M budget

Voters will decide on 6.5 percent increase on Town Meeting Day in two-vote process

Jan. 23, 2013

Written by

Dorothy Pellett

Free Press correspondent

For the first time, the Charlotte Central School district budget will bring about the need for a two-part vote on Town Meeting Day. The School Board voted 4-1 Tuesday to adopt a budget of $7,396,876.

The total that voters will weigh is 6.5 percent — $450,961 — more than the current year’s budget. The projected tax rate would be $1.0245, per $100 property value, an increase of 9.44 percent over the rate residents paid in November, said Chittenden South Supervisory Union Chief Operating Officer Bob Mason.

The proposed budget triggers two criteria in a state law which mandates it be divided into two votes. The proposed budgetis more than the current budget plus 3.2 percent for inflation, and the district’s education spending per equalized pupil in the 2012-13 fiscal year was above the statewide average. Charlotte voters will be asked to vote on the amount of the current budget plus inflation, $7,124,108; and in a second vote to approve the remainder, $272,768.

Two major cost drivers made it clear to the board in October that the total amount required would be higher, just to provide the same programs, staffing and services as available in the current year, board chairwoman Lynne Jaunich said.

Those factors included an increase of about $207,000 in special education costs required by state law, and a rise of about $111,000 in salary and benefit amounts.

During the budget process, co-principals Greg Marino and Audrey Boutaugh presented an outline of special education costs reflecting a greater intensity of student needs, requiring additional support from special educators and paraprofessionals.

The board also contended with a probable increase in items such as fuel oil, workers compensation and general insurance.

Marino and Boutaugh recommended keeping all items that are in the current budget as they planned for the coming year.

(Page 2 of 2)

“Multi-year reductions in nearly all facets of the school budgets over the past six years have left little room for further reductions without impact to instructional delivery,” Marino said.

Since 2006, positions eliminated have included six classroom teachers, one enrichment coordinator, part-time positions for art teacher, world language teacher and school counselor, as well as dropping two bus runs and return bus service from athletics. The technology budget was also reduced.

Marino, Boutaugh and special services administrator Connie Engle, with input from other staff members, drafted a packet of proposed additions to the budget for the board to consider. If all had been adopted, more than $230,000 would have been added.

The board selected for inclusion one primary classroom teacher — a position that already had been added during the current year — along with an amount for substitute teachers to fill in during staff attendance at math workshops, for a total of $73,320. Full-day kindergarten in the fall semester and laptop computers for third and fourth grades were among the requests unfunded.

More than 25 parents and other residents attended a meeting last week, many expressing opinions about full-day kindergarten. Students now attend for a half day in fall, moving to a full day after winter break.

Heather Manning and a dozen others were opposed to a change, some for budget reasons and some speaking from the children’s perspective.

“I think we don’t need full day kindergarten. School is tough. There are a lot of challenges,” Manning said. “The model we have gives them some relaxed time and a transition to full day. I think we tend to put too much pressure on 5 year olds.”

Jesse McEntee and Marty Auster were two parents who spoke in favor of full days, as did board members Sue Thibault and Kristin Wright. “The evidence is overwhelming nationally, globally and statewide. We know that more money is being invested in early childhood education,” McEntee said.

On Town Meeting Day, if one part of the two-vote budget is not approved by voters, the budget would return to the board for further discussion.

Without the $272,768 in the second vote, the school would face significant reductions in staff: professional, support and administrative, as well as probable elimination of some music and language programs, Jaunich said, adding that specific targets have not been identified.

The projected tax rate of $1.0245 per $100 would mean a payment of $3,073 in Charlotte education tax for a $300,000 home, an increase of $265 over the most recent tax bill.